Coffee After Professional Whitening?

The results of teeth whitening can be dramatic in as little as two hours with in-office bleaching.  There are a few things that we ask you not to eat or drink following the procedure.  Coffee is one of the things that we like for you to avoid, but only for 48 hours following the procedure.  Tea, red wine, and some sodas are also not good during this initial period following whitening.  The reason is the enamel is porous for the first 48 hours making it easy to restain them.  Drinking through a straw during this time period is a good idea to avoid liquids making direct contact with your newly whitened enamel.

Thank you for your great question. Coffee will stain teeth. Just look at a porcelain cup you are drinking coffee from. If it is not washed within 5 minutes, that cup will stain! The same with your pearly whites. Consider brushing your teeth right away after drinking coffee.

Teeth get somewhat dehydrated from teeth whitening and become like little sponges that can absorb color. This is why it is recommended to avoid colored foods for at least 24 hours. I usually recommend 48 hours to be safe. This dehydration is the same reason teeth may be a bit sensitive. This sensitivity only lasts about 24 hours and can be helped with sensodyne toothpaste and over the counter anti-inflammatories. Follow us for more info.

Almost any stain we acquire on our teeth from everyday foods, drinks and habits can can be made lighter, whiter and better with the use of professional whitening.  I think that this myth was thrown out of perspective, but has some underlying truth to it. 

First truth: The longer our teeth come in contact with dark staining foods and drinks, the more susceptible we are to stain.  This is why straws can be a good option to lessen the amount of time a dark staining liquid (coffee or soda for example) has in contact with your teeth.

Second truth: After whitening (bleaching), teeth become dehydrated temporarily, making them more susceptible to picking up stain.  That's why we advise patients to avoid dark staining things (tobacco, coffee, red wine, etc) for the first 24-48 hours.  It's not that your teeth will all of a sudden become a deep Argentinian Malbec Red if you accidentally have a glass of Malbec, it's just more likely that the the whitening you just did won't appear as effective thereby negating the effort you just put in.  No worries, you'll just have to bleach an extra night or two to counter that and achieve the whiteness you desire.

Coffee, along with red wine, tea, tobacco, blueberries etc. will stain your teeth no matter what but it is not permanent.  That is why we always make whitening trays for touch up.  After whitening, your teeth are dehydrated from the bleaching process and are very sensitive to stain. We recommend you refrain from the above substances for a least a week so your teeth have time to rehydrate.  We use Kor Whitening in  our practice and there is no problem with teeth dehydratring; however, .I would be mindful of what foods and drinks come  into contact with  my beautiful new white teeth for at least a week!